HUGHTON ON: BOURNEMOUTH

18 September 2017

Paul Hazlewood Albion boss Chris Hughton speaking to the media.

Kieran Cleeves

At his pre-match press conference, Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton reflected on Friday’s Premier League defeat to the Cherries, assessed the quality in Bournemouth’s squad, identified tomorrow night’s Carabao Cup game as a good opportunity for his players, and spoke about the excitement of cup competition.

Friday’s defeat: “You look at the positives from the game. We were up against a Bournemouth side that’s developed well in this division, with a lot of pace and energy.

“I thought we applied ourselves very well, and having taken the lead, it was disappointing to lose the game. But we’ve gone through that and there were certainly more positives from the game than negatives.

“That’s how you always move forward. There’s been a lot of games this season where we’ve been very much in the game, but we need to make sure we can turn those performances in our favour. "

Bournemouth’s quality: “They’re a team that very much play on the front foot, they try to win the game and play at a high tempo, so we know what to expect and it’s about working around that to contain the qualities that Bournemouth have.

“Whichever team they put out, they’ve got a good squad. They’ve developed a very good squad over the past couple of years, and we need to make sure we match them in the areas that we can.

“Sometimes you need that little bit of fortune, particularly if you’re the team playing away from home. We need to stay in the game, and for as long as we can do that, we have a chance."

Opportunity for players: “If I’m looking at either the squad that was there or those that weren’t there, what they saw on Friday was a very competitive Premier League game, where we were very much in the game.

“It’s a good stadium to play at under the floodlights, it’s a wonderful pitch and I’d be very surprised if there was anyone that didn't want to be involved in that game.

“For those that weren’t [in the squad], this is an opportunity for them and we always have to look at any opportunity as a good one."

Cup excitement: “Whatever the changes that any manager makes going into these cup games, you always want to make progress and win. There’s always an excitement before the draw is made for the next round.

“I see it as a plus more than a negative. If you’re able to stay in the competition, use your squad and get to the latter part of competitions, where it gets really exciting, then that’s what we want.

“There’s certainly no dampening of the excitement of getting through to the next round, and I think that will always be the case."